Techniques for connecting printers to a computer (terminal) with cables are known for some time. Examples are IEEE-1284, Ethernet or USB. However, this is also disadvantageous when placing a device. The device must either be in close proximity to a computer, as with IEEE-1284 or USB, or at least a network connection must be available (Ethernet). If a printer is to be used with different computers, then the complexity for connecting the devices increases. Printers with an interface according to IEEE-1284 or USB are connected to a computer which then makes this printer available to the other workstations. Printers with network connection also occupy at least one terminal of the network cabling. It is impossible to print in this environment with a mobile terminal due to a lack of a common communication interface. If the mobile terminal is a laptop, then the laptop can generally be connected to the network. However, the advantage of mobility is then lost. In addition, printer drivers must be installed on this device. Other mobile terminals, such as Smartphones or PDAs, lack an interface for a wired network. Accordingly, with this scenario, these devices are still unable to use one of the existing printers. However, if this network in which the printers are installed is connected with a WLAN via a gateway, then the printers can also be used by mobile terminals.
Printers using wireless interfaces, such as Bluetooth or WLAN/Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi: alternative designation for WLAN) for connecting to a computer, are available since some time. The range of these connections extends up to several hundred meters if the stations are in a line of sight. The range is reduced when walls or objects are located between the stations. It is thus basically possible to locate computers and printers in different rooms without requiring a cable for the connection. The printer can simultaneously be used by different computers without requiring the aforementioned complexity. However, the same problem exists as with wired printers: the mobile device does not have the matching printer driver installed, and may not even be capable thereof. If the laptop is a laptop using the operating system MS Windows, MacOS, Linux and the like, a printer driver van be installed. However, this approach does not work for other mobile devices, such as Smartphones or PDAs. Due to the limited resources of these mobile devices, such as small memories or insufficient processor power, it is impossible to provide printer drivers for any combination of mobile terminal and printer. This process would also be dynamic, because new printers and new terminals require new printer drivers.
There is no general solution aside from special solutions for certain printers on certain mobile devices.
One of these solutions is the software “HP iPrint Photo” from the company HP, which enables wireless printing of images. This program, however, has several severe limitations:                Printing is limited to printers that understand a certain printer control language (PCL3).        The print size is fixed to a single format (10 cm×15 cm).        This program only runs on iPhones from the manufacturer Apple.        
Aside from the aforementioned problems of limited printer selection, the program has the additional disadvantage of a small print format.
Another software “Air Photo”, also developed for iPhones, uses a PC as print server. An image is selected on the mobile terminal and transmitted via WLAN to the PC which outputs the image on a connected printer. The PC with a dedicated module then becomes the print server for the iPhone. The user of the iPhone can thus not freely select the printer; in addition, every PC having the connected printer with which the image is to be printed must be in equipped advance with the special module.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a method and an arrangement for detecting printers which can be used from a data processing device via a wireless communication link, and a corresponding computer program and a corresponding computer-readable storage medium, which obviate the disadvantages of the conventional solutions and, in particular, detect the existing printers and present the detected printers to the user of a mobile terminal.